“Aren’t you the one who said you were seriously tempted to strangle me once?”
“Eh, I wouldn’t be the first person, I’m sure, and I know I won’t be the last.”
“Oh, you are a fucker,” she said, but there was a low chuckle as she turned. “Where?”
“Take my bed, I’ll bunk with the others,” I said.
There was a pause. “Do I even need to ask what that bed has seen?”
I got up, stripping the bed in seconds and going over to the small cabinet in the corner, pulling out replacement sheets, pillowcases, and a fresh blanket, which I dropped onto the stripped bed. “There, free of any taint, or however you want to put it.”
“Anything you want to say to me?” she asked as she looked at the sheets. “Because I’m leaving in the morning, I don’t want to linger longer than my stupid choices have already forced me to.”
“I think we’ve spent too many years saying too many things to each other. Maybe we should stick to letting the lawyers talk to each other and let us…move on with our lives.”
“Yours with him?”
“Maybe. That’s up to him…and me, I guess.”
“God save him.”
I gripped the door handle and fought the urge to tell her exactly what she could do with her commentary. “Good night.”
I stepped out into the cold and took a deep breath. Next on my list of priorities was Colin, and then I would deal with the rest of them…whenever. There was only one place I could picture him being; trying to contain whatever idiocy had spun out from tonight’s debacle, or maybe being comforted by them after all the nastiness.
I had to take a deep breath before I walked through the back doors. It was the first time I could remember ever feeling nervous about facing my team. It was stupid. I was a grown ass man, and it wasn’t like I’d taken advantage of my position to sleep with Colin. I mean, literally, I had because I was bigger and he loved being tossed around, but not professionally.
Hmm, probably a good idea not to make that distinction to anyone.
After another breath, I opened the doors. I could hear the TV coming from the rec room, followed by the irritatingly familiar sounds of someone roughhousing in there. If I were to guess, especially after glancing into two bunk rooms, it was probably Reno and Jake. Those two had always had an annoying dynamic; their brain cells fleeing their heads, what few they had anyway, when they were around each other for too long.
Except Reno’s bed was empty, but so was Colin’s. I didn’t want to take a step-by-step inventory of who was around and I walked into the Rec Room. Sure enough, Jake and Reno were wrestling on the floor in front of the TV, Reno grunting as he did his best to get the better of Jake, who was clearly taking it easy on the other man. Aidan was in the corner, curled up in a chair with his phone in his hand, while Mika sat on the couch, eyeing his brother and Jake with the wariness of someone who had been surprised by a stray foot in the past.
Aidan was the first to notice me. “Xander.”
Three more sets of eyes swiveled to me, Jake grinning. “Hey, Big Boss, you, uh…dunno how to say this but?—”
“Maybe don’t?” Mika offered helpfully.
“Do we need to bury a body or what?” Jake asked in a rush. “Fuck it, I asked.”
“Oh,” Mika said, and frowned up at me. “Actually, that’s a pretty good question for once. Do we?”
“It’s not a good fucking question,” I growled at them. Jesus, what the hell? “And no! Now where is he?”
“Who?” Jake asked, and Reno got his arm free to smack Jake on the forehead. “Ow! Hey.”
“He’s looking for Colin,” Reno told him and then shoved his fingers up one of Jake’s nostrils.
“Hey!” Jake protested, rolling away and giving him a shove.
“Yes, that’s who I want,” I said, rubbing my forehead. “Can you pause for five seconds, stop being morons and just?—”
“Uh,” Mika began and looked at the others who were averting their eyes, not looking at me.
“What?” I demanded.
“Well,” Jake began, and I knew it had to be something if the most oblivious man I knew was looking nervous.